Daybreak: Iran Rising

• Despite limited domestic dissent, Iran is taking advantage of the upheavals throughout the Arab world to project its power and increase its influence. [NYT]

• Sen. John Kerry and Syrian President Assad have been secretly working on a paper that would outline where peace talks with Israel would begin. [Haaretz]

• New satellite photos show what appears to be a second Syrian nuclear installation (the first being the one Israel bombed a few years ago), which could up the ante when international inspectors decide what to do about the country next month. [WSJ]

• An attempt was made on the life of Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, the longtime intelligence head who is seen as the official closest to Israel. He was unhurt. [Arutz Sheva]

• Conversions performed under some American Orthodox rabbis’ supervision are reportedly not being accepted as legitimate by Israel’s chief rabbinate, thereby affecting the ability of those converted to immigrate. [JTA]

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I am sorry Mark. But the NYT piece contradicts itself and is a huge piece of speculation. I hope you see that as well. Badly written, I am surprised the NYT publishes articles like that.
I Iran is going down the drain anyway. The massive problems within the country are omitted.

Isn’t this the same John Kerry whose Grandparents were Jewish and then suddenly woke up as Irish Roman Catholics one day? Is this the man you want to trust with the future of Israel and the Jewish People? I don’t think so. Kerr’y wife is a well known anti semite supporting every left wing/wing bat cause to demonize Israel. Is this the man you want me to follow on the path to peace? If so, I have a bridge to sell you.

He’s famously after a legacy, having failed in his bid to become president, and without any significant legislation to his name. So he wants to go down as a peace maker.

When will American legislators realize that countries that are adversarial to the U.S. always play a protracted game of mock negotiations because they simply cannot reject us outright? If Syria or Iran were to just tell us to take a hike, they would be risking their hold on power because we would conclude that the only options available to us involve military action, or coercive diplomacy. On the other hand, they are never going to accede to our wishes to accommodate our allies.

So they call for negotiations, and when they don’t hold good cards, they appear to make concessions, and then retract them when American influence appears to be waning.

The history of courting the Assads is a history of abject failure on the part of the U.S., and it’s been going on for decades. It’s not going anywhere this time.

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